Early Pit Stops Net Three DTM Podium Finishes For BMW In Hungary

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Timo Glock and Bruno Spengler finished second and third on Saturday, and Maxime Martin finished third on Sunday, in the DTM races at the Hungaroring near Budapest. In both races, early pit stops paid off; Spengler and Glock pitted early and fell to the back of the pack on Saturday, moving to the front after a safety-car period. Then Martin pitted after the first lap on Sunday, fell to the back of the pack, and moved up fifteen positions over the course of the race.

BMW’s prospects seemed dim at the beginning of the first race, as Tom Blomqvist and Maxime Martin collided on the first lap. Martin exited the race in a few laps and Blomqvist dropped out later. But Glock and Spengler moved up after their early stops to secure two podium finishes for BMW. Marco Wittmann also scored points, finishing ninth. Paul Di Resta won the race in a Mercedes.

Wittmann qualified second for race two. He dropped back one position at the start. Meanwhile Martin pitted after one lap, ran consistently fast laps on his return to the track, and finished third. A polystyrene part blocked Wittmann’s air cooler, leaving him with rising oil temperatures; eventually he had to retire. Glock finished in the points again, coming across the line in seventh. The win went to Audi’s Rene Rast.

The series runs next at the Norisring on July 1 and 2.—Brian S. Morgan